JP2003125041A - Portable terminal device and display control program thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable terminal device which can effectively utilize a plurality of display regions. SOLUTION: The portable telephone device comprises a first display mode used, by dividing the screen of a main display part 16 into upper and lower band-like display regions 16a, 16b and a central display region 16b at least at conducting of a specific application, and a second display mode used, in a state in which the entire screen of the display part 16 is in a non-divided state, and switches the first and second display modes, based on a keying operation or the application carry-out/end. In the second mode, at least the part of the contents displayed in the band-like display regions 16a, 16c in the first mode is displayed on a sub-display part 19. For example, at the second mode, as the contents to be displayed on the sub-display part, the contents displayed on the regions 16a, 16c and the sub-display part are switched or scrolled and are displayed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile terminal device represented by a mobile phone having at least one display unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the technological innovation of mobile phones has been remarkable, and the multifunctionalization of Internet connection, game download / execution, etc. is progressing. The display devices of mobile phones are also being colorized and have a larger screen.

[0003]

However, in a portable terminal device which is required to be small and lightweight, there is a limit even if it has a large screen, and it cannot be compared with a monitor of a personal computer.

On the other hand, recently, it has become possible to create and browse e-mails, browse web information, and even execute games on a mobile phone. In the above application, dissatisfaction may occur in the area of the display area.

In particular, in a strip-shaped display area at the upper end and the lower end of a display unit of a mobile phone which is a mobile terminal device having a communication function, the remaining battery level, out of range / in range, and radio wave condition (the number of antenna bars) ), And the key operation guide information (key operation information) and the like are displayed in many cases, and the reality is that the display area that can be used by the application is pressed. Under such circumstances, a mobile phone having a small display screen may be less attractive to a user who attaches importance to the size of the display screen, and may be a factor that reduces the user's willingness to purchase.

By the way, as a portable telephone, especially a two-fold type, a relatively small sub-display unit is provided on the outer surface of the cover so that predetermined information can be seen even when the cover is closed. However, with this mobile phone, only the main display is visible when the cover is opened,
The sub display becomes invisible. On the other hand, the applicant of the present application has filed a patent application 2 for a mobile phone terminal having a sub-display unit having a structure that can be visually recognized when the cover is opened or closed.
001-172164.

As described above, the display area of the conventional mobile terminal device, particularly the mobile phone, is being expanded. However, the expansion is still limited, and it is required to effectively use the limited display area. ing.

The present invention has been made under such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a portable terminal device which can effectively use a plurality of display areas.

[0009]

A portable terminal device according to the present invention is a portable terminal device having at least first, second and third display areas, and has at least one display section and various operation keys. An operation unit having the display unit and a display control unit for controlling the display unit, wherein the display control unit displays the execution content of the application in the first display area at least when the specific application is executed. 2. First, which displays predetermined contents in the third display area
Display mode and the contents displayed in the first display area are displayed across at least the first and second display areas, and the contents displayed in the second display area are displayed in the first display area. And a second display mode for displaying in the third display area, and switching between the first display mode and the second display mode according to a predetermined factor.

The predetermined factor is, for example, operation of the operation key by the user, or execution and termination of a predetermined application.

As described above, even if the first display mode has the same display form as before, the first display mode has the first display mode.
Since the execution contents of the application in the display area can be displayed over a plurality of display areas, it is possible to substantially increase the screen size depending on the situation.

In the second display mode, the display control means displays the content displayed in at least one of the second display area and the third display area in the third display area. . As a result, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the adverse effects caused by the enlargement of the first display area.

In the case of having a fourth display area, the display control means, at the time of the second display mode, displays at least the contents displayed in the first display area.
And while displaying across the fourth display area,
At least a part of the content displayed in the second display area and the third display area and the content displayed in the fourth display area is displayed in the third display area.

When all the contents to be displayed in the third display area in the second display mode cannot be displayed or cannot be displayed at the same time, the content displayed in the third display area is changed by the user by the operation. Switching display or scroll display can be performed according to key operation.

In the second display mode, the display control means displays the contents of a predetermined basic screen in the third display area, and when there is a change in a predetermined state, the third display is displayed. It is also possible to switch the display contents of the area from the basic screen to the display contents related to the change of the state. In this case, it is possible for the user to recognize necessary contents without performing any operation.

The display control means returns the display of the third display area to the basic screen after a lapse of a predetermined time after switching from the basic screen to the display content related to the change of the state. Good. As a result, it is possible to automatically return to the original screen after recognizing the changed contents.

In a portable terminal device having a main display section and a sub display section as the display section, for example, the main display section has the first and second display areas, and the sub display section has the third display section. Display area.

According to another aspect, the mobile terminal device according to the present invention is a mobile terminal device having a main display portion and a sub display portion, and at least when a specific application is executed, an upper portion of the screen of the main display portion. And / or has a first display mode in which the lower strip-shaped display area and the remaining display area are used in a divided manner, and a second display mode in which the entire screen of the main display portion is used in a non-divided state, Switching between the first and second display modes based on a predetermined factor, and in the second display mode, the contents displayed in the band-shaped display area in the first display mode and the sub-display section are displayed. At least a part of the displayed content is displayed on the sub display unit.

A display control program according to the present invention is a display control program in a mobile terminal device having at least first, second and third display areas, and is a display control program in the first display area in a first display mode. Displaying the execution contents of the application and displaying predetermined contents in the second and third display areas, and at least the contents displayed in the first display area in the second display mode. Displaying over the first and second display areas, and displaying the contents displayed in the second display area in the third display area, the first display mode and the second display And a step of switching the mode according to a predetermined factor. The present invention can be understood as a recording medium that stores this display control program.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a half-fold type portable terminal device (also simply referred to as a portable terminal) 100 having a sub-display portion to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 (a) is a front view when it is open, and FIG. 1 (b) is a front view when it is closed.

This mobile terminal 100 includes a hinge portion 18,
The cover portion 14 that is openably and closably connected by the hinge portion 18
And a main body 25. The speaker 12 is arranged above the inner surface of the cover portion 14, and the main display portion 16 (for example, a flat display device such as a liquid crystal display) is arranged on the inner main surface. In the hinge part 18,
A sub-display unit 19 (also a flat display device such as a liquid crystal display) is provided at the center thereof.
This sub display unit 19 is fixed to the main body 25 side,
Even if the cover portion 14 is rotated with respect to the main body portion 25, the sub display portion 19 itself does not rotate. The horizontal width of the screen of the sub display unit 19 is about the same (slightly smaller) as the width of the screen of the main display unit 16, but the height in the vertical direction is a size that can be accommodated in the hinge unit. Since the sub display portion 19 is provided inside the hinge portion 18, as shown in FIG.
On the other hand, even when the cover portion 14 is closed, the screen of the sub display portion 19 is exposed and can be visually recognized as it is.

However, FIG. 1 is only an example of a portable terminal to which the present invention is applied, and the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the position of the sub display unit 19 does not necessarily have to be the hinge unit 18, and the sub display unit 19 itself is not essential.

On the inner surface of the main body portion 25, the jog dial 20 is provided at the center of the upper portion, and the left and right keys 26a, 26 are provided at both ends of the jog dial 20.
b, and soft keys 17a and 17b are arranged on both side ends thereof. The jog dial 20 is a push switch capable of rotating. The soft keys 17a and 17b are operation keys to which arbitrary functions are assigned corresponding to various menus and screens, and the assigned functions are notified to the user by the display contents of the key operation display area. Regarding the left and right keys 26a and 26b, the availability of use in each usage scene of the mobile terminal is displayed in the key operation display area. Below these operation keys, a call key 21, a clear key 22, and a power supply / end call key 23 are arranged. Further, a numeric keypad 28 is arranged below it, and a memo key 3 is provided below them.
0 and the manner key 31 are arranged. Body 25
A microphone 32 is arranged at the bottom of the.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the portable terminal of this embodiment.

The mobile terminal 100 includes an antenna 200, a duplexer 201, and a portion related to the telephone function.
Receiver (RX) 202, transmitter (TX) 203, DSP
(Digital Signal Processor) 204, speaker 20
5, a microphone 206 and an ear receiver 207 are included. The mobile terminal 100 further includes a control unit 208, a main display unit 209 (corresponding to 16 in FIG. 1), a sub-display unit 210 (corresponding to 19 in FIG. 1), and an operation unit as parts related to the control of the mobile terminal. It has 211, ROM213, and RAM214. The operation unit 211 corresponds to various keys and buttons shown in FIG. The ROM 213 stores a control program for realizing the later-described operation of this embodiment.
The ROM 213 may include a writable memory such as a flash ROM. In this example, the mobile terminal 100 also includes a short-range wireless communication unit 212 such as Bluetooth (trademark) and an antenna 213 therefor, an imaging control unit 215, and a camera 216, which are not particularly essential to the present invention. There is.

An operation example of this embodiment will be described below.
A plurality of display areas in the mobile terminal 100 of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In the example of FIG. 3, the main display unit 2
The screen No. 09 has a large display area B in the center, and three display areas 16 including two small display areas A and C at the upper end and the lower end.
It is divided into b, 16a, and 16c.

In the normal display mode, the control unit 208
4A, as shown in FIG. 4A, a viewer of the video image captured by the camera 216, a mailer for creating / viewing a mail, i
The screen of the application being used, such as an application (trademark) or a web browser, is displayed in the display area 16b at the center of the main display unit 209. Further, in this example, the control unit 208 displays the remaining battery level, out-of-range / in-range, radio wave state, and the like in the display area 16a, and displays key operation information and the like in the display area 16c. On the other hand, the sub display unit 19 displays arbitrary information (for example, a predetermined icon, date and time, etc.).

In the normal display mode, when the user operates a specific key, the portable terminal 100 is displayed as shown in FIG.
The screen shifts to the full-screen display mode as shown in. In this full-screen display mode, the display content of the application displayed in the display area 16b of FIG. 3 is displayed across the entire display areas 16a, 16b, 16c of the main display unit 16 (full-screen display). . By this, specifically,
For example, it is possible to create and browse emails, browse the web, and play games on a large screen. In the full screen display mode, the contents displayed in the display areas 16a and 16c of FIG. 3 are displayed on the sub display unit 210. In the example of this figure, the sub-display unit 19 simultaneously displays all of the icon display originally displayed therein, the information display displayed in the display area 16a, and the key operation display displayed in the display area 16c. Display parts sequentially. Image reduction is performed for "simultaneous" display. In this case, the characters and icons become smaller. In order to avoid this, those displays are sequentially displayed according to the user's instruction.

In the sequential display, for example, when the normal display mode shown in FIG. 5A is changed to the full-screen display mode shown in FIG. 5B, the sub display unit 19 displays an icon display 601, an information display 602, and a key operation. The screen of the display 603 is sequentially (cyclically) switched and displayed according to a predetermined operation of the user. Alternatively, these screens are displayed so that they can be sequentially viewed by scrolling the screen. Although the case where the three screens are switched or scrolled is shown here, a part of the screens (for example, the screen of the display area D) may be at least temporarily removed from the visible state. In that case, which screen to remove may be fixed in advance, or may be selectively designated by the user.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the flow of display-related processing in this embodiment.

When the power is turned on, it becomes "beginning". Although the figure does not describe the termination condition, the termination is unconditionally completed when the power is turned off. Note that the example of FIG. 6 does not take into consideration the example of starting the application while the application is being started.

In the processing of FIG. 6, first, the top screen (initial screen) is displayed on the main display section 16 (S11).
In this top screen display, the display area 16a of FIG. 3 displays information such as the remaining battery level, out of service area, radio wave condition, etc., the display area 16b displays the contents of the top screen, and the display area 16c displays key operation information. After that, when the application is activated (S12, Yes), the content of the application is displayed in the display area 16b (S13). At this time, the display areas 16a and 16c display the remaining battery level, out-of-range / in-range, radio wave state, key operation information, and the like, as described above.

When a specific key operation is performed by the user before the application is terminated (S15, Y)
es), and shifts to the full-screen display mode (S16). As described above, at this time, if the original display contents and all the display contents of the display areas 16a and 16c can be simultaneously displayed on the sub display unit, the simultaneous display is performed (S19).
Even in the case where the display is possible, the user may preset in advance whether or not the simultaneous display is performed. In step S17 in that case, the condition is determined as "is simultaneous display on the sub display?" Instead of "is simultaneous display on the sub display?".

If simultaneous display is not possible in step S17 (S
(17, Yes), the page switching function or the scroll function is introduced as described above, and the partial display is performed on the sub display unit (S18). At this time, a method may be considered in which any of the contents (for example, the icon display displayed on the sub display unit) is temporarily excluded from the target of switching or scroll display.

Next, when there is a specific key operation for returning to the original display mode until the application is terminated (S21) (S20, Yes), step S
Return to 13. At this time, the display contents of the display areas 16a and 16c and the consular area 16d of the sub display section are also returned to the original contents.

If the application is terminated (application termination) in step S14, the process may return to step S11 instead of step S12. Also,
If the application is terminated in step S21, step S11
Alternatively, the process may return to step S12.

In the above description, the case where the main display section has three display areas in the normal display mode has been described, but a modification thereof will be described with reference to FIG. The present invention is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the present invention can be applied to the case where the main display section 16 has two display areas in the normal display mode. At this time,
The key operation display assigned to the display area 16c in the example of (a) is displayed on (the display area 16d of) the sub display unit 19. In the full-screen display mode, the sub-display unit 19 simultaneously displays the information and the key operation display as shown in FIG. 7B, or the information display 602 and the key operation as shown in FIG. 8B. Display 603 and page are switched or scrolled.

In the above, page switching or scroll display when the contents of a plurality of screens cannot be displayed (or not displayed) on the sub-display portion at the same time is performed by the user's key operation (may include dial operation). However, a method of automating this is also conceivable. That is, in the full-screen display mode, the contents considered to have a relatively high priority are displayed on the sub-display as a basic screen, and a temporary change is given to notify the user of any change in state. The display contents of the sub display unit are switched to. An example of the processing flow of such automatic switching of the display screen of the sub display unit will be described with reference to FIG. This processing corresponds to the processing section related to the sub display section in the full screen display mode, and when the main display section 16 as shown in FIG. 5 is divided into three, the main display section 16 as shown in FIG. It can be applied to both cases of division.

First, the basic screen is displayed on the sub display (S31). The contents of the basic screen are, for example, the contents displayed on the sub display unit in the normal display mode and the contents displayed on the main display unit in the normal display mode, which are displayed on the main display unit at the time of shifting to the full screen display mode. It is a predetermined part of the content that was expelled from. For example, it is key operation information according to the application. Then, it is monitored whether there is any change in the predetermined state (S32). Here, the predetermined state is
For example, it is a change in the state which should be relatively urgently notified to the user, such as change of the out-of-service area / in-service area, arrival of mail or the like, decrease of battery level. When such a state change occurs, the screen is changed to the basic screen and the screen showing the contents of the state change is displayed on the sub-display unit (S33). This display is performed for a predetermined time (S34), and after that, the display is returned to the basic screen (S31). At that time, in order to call the user's attention, it is preferable to generate an alarm by generating a predetermined sound or blinking the brightness of the screen. The "predetermined time" is assumed to be about several seconds to several tens of seconds, typically about 5 seconds, but the length may be different depending on the state.
In some cases, the “predetermined time” may be set to infinity, and the display of the basic screen may be returned after waiting for a specific key operation by the user. The contents of the “basic screen” and the “predetermined state” mentioned here are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the above-described embodiment, the transition from the normal display mode to the full-screen display mode is performed according to the user's specific key operation. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that this shift is automatically performed at the time of starting a specific application, not by the user's key operation. However,
The user may enable or disable the automatic shift to the full-screen display mode by default.

In the process of FIG. 10, first, the top screen is displayed on the main display section (S41). This is the same as step S11 in FIG. After that, when some application is activated (S42), it is checked whether or not it is a specific application designated in advance (S43). If it's not a specific application,
Normal display is performed on the main display and the sub display (S
50). After that, when the application ends (S5
1, Yes), and returns to the first step S41.

If it is found in step S43 that the application is a specific application, the mode immediately shifts to the full-screen display mode regardless of the user's specific key operation (S).
44). When simultaneous display is possible on the sub display or when simultaneous display is selected (S45, Ye
s), simultaneous display is performed on the sub display unit (S47). When the simultaneous display is not possible or when the simultaneous display is not selected (S45, No), the switching function or the scroll function is introduced to sequentially display the partial contents on the sub display unit (S46).

After that, when the particular application ends (S48, Yes), the full screen display mode is switched to the normal display mode (S49), and the first top screen display is performed (S41).

Although the portable terminal having the sub-display section has been described above, an information terminal having no sub-display section and having at least the first, second and third display areas in the main display section is also conceivable. In this case, different contents are displayed in each display area in the normal display mode, and the contents displayed in the first display area in the normal display mode are displayed in a plurality of pieces in the full-screen display mode which is shifted due to a predetermined factor. The content is displayed across the area, and the content displayed in the display area other than the first display area used for full-screen display is displayed in another display area. At this time, when displaying a plurality of contents in the other display area, switching or scroll display is performed.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications and changes other than those mentioned above are possible. For example, although the position of the sub display unit is the hinge unit, it may be another region. Moreover, although the two-fold type portable terminal has been described, the present invention is not limited to the two-fold type portable terminal.

[0047]

According to the present invention, in a portable terminal device having a plurality of display areas, a process being performed in a main display area can be displayed across the plurality of display areas and can be displayed across the plurality of display areas. By displaying the contents that are no longer displayed in the other display area, it is possible to effectively use the plurality of display areas depending on the situation. As a result, user convenience is improved.

Further, in the portable terminal device having the main display section and the sub display section, the display area of the main display section is displayed over a plurality of display areas to enlarge the display area available for the application of the main display section. As a result, the manufacturer / seller of the mobile terminal device can appeal the size of the display unit to increase the consumer's willingness to purchase.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a two-fold type portable terminal device (also simply referred to as a portable terminal) having a sub display unit to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the mobile terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a plurality of display areas in the mobile terminal of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how the normal display mode and the full-screen display mode are switched in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a switching display state of a sub display unit in a full screen display mode according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of display-related processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a switching display state of a sub display unit in a full screen display mode in the modification example of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of automatically switching the display screen of the sub display unit in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of display-related processing according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 ... Speaker, 14 ... Cover part, 16 ... Main display part, 16a, 16b, 16c ... Display areas A, B, C, 1
7a, 17b ... Soft keys, 18 ... Hinge part, 19 ... Sub display part, 20 ... Jog dial, 21 ... Call key, 2
2 ... Clear key, 23 ... Power key / end key, 25 ... Main body part, 26a, 26b ... Left / right key, 28 ... Ten key, 3
0 ... Memo key, 31 ... Manner key, 32 ... Microphone, 10
0 ... Mobile terminal, 601 ... Icon display, 602 ... Information display, 603 ... Key operation display

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification Code FI Theme Coat (Reference) H04Q 7/38 H04B 7/26 109T

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A mobile terminal device having at least first, second, and third display areas, wherein at least one display unit, an operation unit having various operation keys, and a display for controlling the display unit. The display control means displays execution contents of the application in the first display area and displays predetermined contents in the second and third display areas at least when a specific application is executed. The first display mode to be displayed and the contents displayed in the first display area are displayed across at least the first and second display areas, and are displayed in the second display area. A mobile phone having a second display mode for displaying contents in the third display area, and switching between the first display mode and the second display mode according to a predetermined factor. Terminal device. 2. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined factor is an operation of the operation key by a user. 3. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined factor is execution and termination of a predetermined application. 4. The display control means displays the content displayed in at least one of the second display area and the third display area in the third display area in the second display mode. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, which is displayed. 5. A fourth display area, wherein the display control means displays at least the contents displayed in the first display area in the second display mode. And displaying at least part of the contents displayed in the second display region and the third display region and the contents displayed in the fourth display region. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal device is displayed in a display area of 3. 6. The content displayed in the third display area in the second display mode is switched or scrolled according to the operation of the operation key by the user. Item 4. The mobile terminal device according to item 4 or 5. 7. The display control means displays the contents of a predetermined basic screen in the third display area in the second display mode, and displays the contents of a predetermined basic screen in the third display area. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the display content of the display area is switched from the basic screen to the display content related to the change of the state. 8. The display control means returns the display of the third display area to the basic screen after a lapse of a predetermined time after switching from the basic screen to a display content related to the change of the state. The mobile terminal device according to claim 7. 9. A main display section and a sub-display section are provided as the display section, the main display section has the first and second display areas, and the sub-display section has the third display area. It has, The portable terminal device in any one of Claims 1-8. 10. A mobile terminal device having a main display section and a sub-display section, and at least when a specific application is executed, a strip-shaped display area at the top and / or bottom of the screen of the main display section and the remaining display. First to use divided areas
Second display mode, and the second screen is used in the non-divided state of the entire screen of the main display section.
And switching between the first and second display modes based on a predetermined factor, and in the second display mode, a band-shaped display area is displayed in the first display mode. The mobile terminal device, wherein at least a part of the content displayed on the sub display unit and the content displayed on the sub display unit are displayed. 11. A display control program in a mobile terminal device having at least first, second and third display areas, wherein execution contents of an application are displayed in the first display area in a first display mode. And displaying predetermined contents in the second and third display areas, and displaying at least the contents displayed in the first display area in the second display mode. A step of displaying the contents displayed in the second display area in the third display area while displaying the contents across the area; and a predetermined factor of the first display mode and the second display mode. A display control program for a mobile terminal device, comprising: